Press Release

Gamida Cell Announces Initiation of a Phase I Study of NAM-NK Cells Immunotherapy Program for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., January 16, 2018 – Gamida Cell, a leading cellular and immune therapeutics company, today announced the initiation of a phase I study evaluating its proprietary NAM-expanded natural killer cells (NAM-NK Cells) in patients with relapsed or refractory CD20+ non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and multiple myeloma.

“There is significant need for novel therapeutic approaches for refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma, which are aggressive malignancies with limited treatment options,” said Veronika Bachanova, M.D., Ph.D., hematologist/oncologist at University of Minnesota Health and lead investigator of the clinical study at the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota. “We initiated this phase I study based on encouraging preclinical data to bring a potential immunotherapeutic treatment approach to patients with these life-threatening cancers.”

The phase I study is designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose of NAM-NK Cells; secondary endpoints include overall antitumor response and toxicity. The study is currently recruiting and will enroll approximately 24 patients aged 18 to 70 years old. Participants will undergo a lymphodepleting preparative regimen of cyclophosphamide and fludarabine, and then receive two doses of NAM-NK Cells followed by a short course of interleukin-2 (IL-2). Monoclonal antibodies, rituximab for NHL or elotuzumab for multiple myeloma, are administered prior to and after the NAM-NK Cells infusion to facilitate tumor targeting and antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity.

“NAM-expanded NK cells have demonstrated increased killing potential and increased in vivo persistence and proliferation in preclinical studies,” said Tony Peled, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Gamida Cell. “We are pleased to see the NAM-NK Cell program enter clinical testing and are committed to collaborating with Dr. Bachanova and her team at the Masonic Cancer Center.”

About NAM-NK Cells
Gamida Cell applied the capabilities of its NAM technology to the expansion of highly functional NK cells. In addition to a higher killing potential, NAM-NK Cells secretes higher levels of inflammatory cytokines that facilitate recruitment and activation of other endogenous immune cells to attack tumors. NAM-NK Cells is in phase I development (NCT03019666) in patients with relapsed or refractory CD20+ non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

About the Masonic Cancer Center
Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota is a comprehensive cancer center designated by the National Cancer Institute. For more than 25 years, researchers, educators, and care providers have worked to discover the causes, prevention, detection and treatment of cancer and cancer-related disease. Learn more about the Masonic Cancer Center and the phase I clinical trial at cancer.umn.edu.

About Gamida Cell
Gamida Cell is a leader in cellular and immune therapeutics dedicated to treating patients with cancer and rare genetic diseases. The company is building a diverse pipeline based on its proprietary NAM technology platform to deliver transformative medicines to patients in need of new treatment options. To learn more about Gamida Cell, including current clinical studies, please visit gamida-cell.com and on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.